The time from 10 pm to 7 am went very fast, and I wasn’t ready to get up, but duty called (as did breakfast!). Our plenary session began at 9:30 am with opening worship (choruses, Scripture, prayer). We heard a report on the 30th anniversary of the Peacemaking program. Then we dealt with nominations and election of members to various GA committees that function between meetings.

The next item was from the Committee on Middle Governing Bodies. It proposed that a Commission be established to work with synods, presbyteries, and sessions to help develop models that will permit more “flexible and nimble” bodies that could respond more quickly and creatively to opportunities for ministry. In the debate that followed, some expressed concern that implied a lack of trust in any group or person other than “our committee” or “my group.” After much discussion, the motion was finally approved. There were also several other overtures dealing with the relationships between presbyteries and synods. I had to leave before the last one of these was voted on because I had to go to the luncheon of the Presbyterian Association on Science, Technology, and the Christian Faith (which I enjoyed very much!).

In the afternoon, we looked at our ecumenical relations. The Committee on Ecumenical Relations brought recommendations on two reports—one dealing with Christians and Jews and one dealing with Christians and Muslims. In both cases, the commissioners sent the reports back to the committees for further work. There were also several overtures about other relationships, including the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and Christian Churches Together.

Then another “hot-button” issue came to the floor—one dealing with ordination standards. The Committee on Church Orders and Ministry brought a recommendation that re-wrote G-6.0106b as follows: Those who are called to ordained service in the church, by their assent to the constitutional questions for ordination and installation (W-4.4003), pledge themselves to live lives obedient to Jesus Christ the Head of the Church, as revealed in Holy Scriptures through the instruction of the Confessions. In so doing, they declare their fidelity to the standards of the Church. Each governing body charged with examination for ordination and/or installation (G-14.0240 and G-14.0450) establishes the candidate's faithful efforts to adhere to these standards." It was generally understood that this was a way to eliminate the current "Among these standards is the requirement to live either in fidelity within the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman or chastity in singleness (W-4.9001)." A minority report was also entered that urged a pastoral letter be sent that asked encouraged sessions to repent of past neglect of the LGBT community but that did not change the current standards. After almost two hours of debate, the committee’s recommendation was approved 53% to 47%. This item will be sent to the presbyteries for vote.

The Committee on the Promotion of Social Justice and Righteousness presented several overtures expressing ways that the Church should be involved in promoting social justice. These ranged from action against trafficking, against domestic violence, against usury to urging the PC(USA) to institute a 5:1 ratio for salaries within its agencies (in other words, that the highest paid individual cannot be paid more than five time what the lowest paid person receives). These were approved.

Then the Committee on Social Just and the Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World brought overtures requesting that we support a moratorium on the death penalty, that we work with the synods in the Gulf of Mexico area to find ways to help restore the wetlands, that we refrain from holding national meetings at hotels or non-PC(USA) conference centers in those states where travel by immigrant Presbyterians or Presbyterians of color or Hispanic ancestry might subject them to harassment due to legislation similar to Arizona Law SB 1070/HB2162. There was extended debate on this latter overture, but it was finally passed overwhelmingly.

In case you think that we were almost finished, dream on (I just wish that I could have started dreaming at that time!). Discussion of the Committee on Civil Unions and Marriage Issues report began at 9:15 pm. As you might guess, there was a minority report to deal with as well. The majority report recommended that the study paper be sent to the presbyteries and sessions for study. The minority report recommended that the minority study paper be sent to the presbyteries and sessions for study. In good Presbyterian fashion, we ended up amending BOTH study papers to include the other paper, but then continued talking and talking and talking to decide which one would come first. Finally, we decided that the majority report would come first and the minority report would come second. There were still several recommendations from the committee to deal with, but the commissioners were getting tired enough (grumpy enough?) that they approved a motion to answer all of the rest of the items with the action taken on the study papers. This probably wasn’t the best way to go (i.e., some of the items really weren’t answered by asking presbyteries and sessions to study the reports), but discernment is often difficult when one is tired!

And we still weren’t finished. The Committee on Church Orders and Ministry had not been able to complete its report in the afternoon, so we had to finish those recommendations, which we did. I got back to my room about 11:10, and I have a committee meeting tomorrow morning at 7:00 am that will take me a good 10 minutes to get to. So good night, friends. More tomorrow.